Planescape: Center of All - IC

[kinem]

The chained man tries to resist Ash's spell, but fails, so the spell takes effect.

Taking a closer look at him, he appears young enough and muscular enough to be a warrior, has no body hair, and he looks at you with a confused expression.

"Eee?"

He nods at Ash. "Antis. You friend? Free me?" His Common is strangely accented or perhaps just strangely spoken.

[Toliudar]

Ash

Ash provides her four colleagues with a mental update.

*Success, of a sort. We've made friends. His name is Antis. He seems to speak a common human language. Who would like to speak with him?*

Ash clears her throat to speak back to Antis.

"Hi Antis. I'm Ash. We'd like to free you, but we need a sign of good faith first. Can you tell me where you're from, what you're doing here, and how you ended up in prison with a very large rat?"

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Sense Motive: (1d20+29)[40]

[Cavir]

Avakuss checks out the bars to the cell for the best way to deal with them. Is it a door or a gate that lifts? Is there a lock? Is it locked? How solid are the bars? What's the rat's reaction to all this?

[Archmage1]

*If he's human, perhaps you and Avakuss should stay, and continue talking. No additional new people to confuse him. Learn what you can, but be mindful that he might not be remembering things correctly. Taric and I can check out the other passage, and see what had the rat so interested.*

With that broadcast, she turns back towards the cavern she had been exploring, and takes a more complete look around.
(1d20+19)[34] Spot
(1d20+16)[25] Search

If she sees nothing, she'll pull out one of the black robes, eye it dubiously, before tossing it on, to see if it reveals anything new(Specifically including examining the torch and incense while wearing the robe.)

[kinem]

Antis still looks confused.

"Make sign? Can't move much like this.

I am from Durras, town by the river. I am waiting for you to free me. Can't do much else.

I fought evil men who came to town. I was captured. They ... left me here. That was ... forever ago. I've been here so long. So long!

Who are you?"

Avakuss examines the bars and cell door. Metal strips have been mounted to the floor and ceiling of the cavern, helping to hold the bars in place. The iron bars look quite solid. The door to the cell is metal as well, with a keyhole. The goliath could no doubt bash it down, but it would be a noisy and messy process. The rat hisses at him in fear.

Spoiler: Ash

Show

He seems to be telling the truth, but not the whole truth.

Spoiler: Eilyra

Show

You don't see anything else of interest in that cavern, so you don the black robe.

The torch and incense don't look any different when wearing the robe.

However, you see something else: A translucent, misty ... head? Mostly a large head shape, but there's the suggestion of shoulders and a body trailing off below it. The creature, if such it is, floats out of the other cavern and towards you. Its features are indistinct, like a grey cloud shape.

"Who are you?" it asks. It's clear that no one else in the party heard or saw anything ...

[Cavir]

The goliath speaks while he decides on the door. "My name is Avakuss. Has there been anyone else around to hear when I break the door down? What's with the rat?"

He turns to Ash. "Perhaps the portal key here too?"

Spoiler: OOC

Show

My attacks (sword or fist) are adamantine. I'm thinking of using the sword to cut through the latch or punch through that point in order to disable the lock, without having to destroy the whole door and to minimize noise.
Sense Motive (1d20+16)[21]

[paradox26]

Taric heads back for the crossroads, and waits there, ready to help in any direction, but not entering the room with the prisoner in case his appearance as a bariaur frightens him, assuming he is from a Prime plane. He returns temporarily to his natural size, and waits with weapons ready, just in case, as he listens in to the mental communications.

[Archmage1]

(1d20+36)[40] Know: religion(Does Eilyra have any idea what this is?)

Interesting. A spirit of some kind, but a guardian of the temple, or a lost spirit? It seems non-hostile for the moment, but if it is a guardian, then there is likely a password or something similar. Only one way to find out.

Eilyra turns to face the misty creature, even as she sends a message to the party. *It seems that there is some sort of spirit here, revealed by the black robes. I'm attempting to keep it non-hostile.*

"Greetings, spirit. I am Eilyra, a loyal servant."

[Toliudar]

Ash

Ash takes advantage of her current appearance as a golden angel to attempt to reassure Antis with a smile and a gesture calling for patience. She waits until he has responded to Avarkuss' question about the rat, then continues.

"Thank you, Antis. Could you describe the bad men who took you prisoner, please? And have they done anything to you besides put you in this cell?"

She responds mentally to Avarkuss.

*Remember that the planar key didn't work on the entrance to this place. Also, we should avoid discussing anything in front of Antis that we wouldn't want the entire universe to know. Like, for instance, the key. Just in case he turns out to be something other than he seems. Feel free to respond to me telepathically.*

[kinem]

Center accompanies Taric back to the central tunnel and says to him "Good idea; he is not used to company. If I were isolated that long, I would probably freak out a bit. Not as much as a human though; Rilmani are used to long lives and sometimes live in isolated places. And sometimes, in cities. Either one by itself gets old after a few hundred years."

The keyhole for the cell door is too small for the key that fit into the stone doors on Pandemonium.

Antis replies to Avakuss "Nobody to hear. The rat? They left it to keep me company. Humor I guess. Bad rat, not like people. Do you, rat?"

Spoiler: Avakuss

Show

He seems to be telling the truth.

Antis replies to Ash "Human men captured me. I can't remember details of their faces. Experiments ... they wanted more power. Used me to test strange magics."

Eilyra apparently starts talking to herself.

Spoiler: Eilyra

Show

The 'spirit' replies "Greetings, Eilyra. Who do you serve?"

[paradox26]

Taric considers the need to guard the crossroads, against the possibility that Eilyra might need help. Do you need help with this spirit you speak of? he asks mentally.

[Archmage1]

Eilyra looks directly at the spirit, still trying to gauge it's alliances. "One that would prefer to not be named. Are you one of the temple guardians?"

She doesn't respond to Taric's question.

[Toliudar]

Ash

Ash sends quickly to Avakuss.

*Could you make a pretext for pausing in your work on the bars?
You have pulled a muscle, perhaps. If this man has been subjected to experiments to unlock power, it's possible that it's a power we don't want unleashed. Let me see what I can pry directly from his head.*

She turns back to Antis.

"Thank you, Antis. We are also looking for bad men, although they may or may not be the same bad men that you seek. Can you describe what the men did to you? Did they do things here, or take you somewhere else? Was this fairly recently, or a long time ago?"

She listens to Antis' response, and then continues.

"Thank you so much! I would like to know more. I have a way to share memories directly. It does not hurt, but makes it hard for both of us to think clearly for a moment, while the vision is shared. May I do that with you?"

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Ongoing sense motives with Antis: (1d20+29)[44]

If Ash gets a go-ahead from Antis, she'll use her Share My Vision Occult Seer ability to try to get a vision from Antis' past. Oh heck, she'll go ahead and use it anyway, just to keep things moving. Will DC 25 negates.

[kinem]

Spoiler: Eilyra

Show

The spirit replies "I am the Harbinger. Why did you come here?"

Antis tells Ash "So long ago! Here, there, elsewhere.

Share? No. Memories bad."

Spoiler: Ash

Show

He's hiding something.

He tries to resist your power, but he fails. This action by you breaks the Charm.

You see Antis tied down to a two-tiered black altar next to a strange circular area that glows purple, within a dim cavern. The circle has a number of geometric designs on it. This might be some sort of planar portal.

A man in plate armor with a purple armor crystal is chanting some kind of unidentifiable spell. Tendrils of purple energy are being drawn from the circular area into Antis.

"Eee!" Antis doesn't seem happy.

[Toliudar]

Ash

Ash grimaces in genuine sympathy.

"Bad as they are, Antis, these memories are exactly what we need to understand how to fight these men. I apologize if I caused you pain."

She links to all of her colleagues.

*A man in purple armour had Antis tied to a two-tiered black altar, next to a circle with geometric patterns that may have also been a planar portal. He sent purple energy from the portal into Antis.

*I don't know what the effect may have had on Antis, but it seems more than possible that he has been infused with power of some kind by the cult of Tharizdun. I would not recommend freeing him at this time.*

[Archmage1]

Probably sent by Thrazidun. Maybe deception might succeed. Probably not. But maybe.
Eilyra's glowing eyes flicker around the room for a moment, before settling back on the Harbinger, and she responds. "To locate and secure a gate, that that it might be used appropriately. Of course, the details on exactly which gate is "correct" wasn't available" She shrugs. "If it were easy, anyone could do it."
She pauses for a moment.
"Are you some guardian spirit, set to protect the temple, or the gate?"

[kinem]

Antis replies "Apologize? Free me!"

Spoiler: Eilyra

Show

The spirit says "What do you hope to accomplish?"

[Archmage1]

Eilyra shrugs. "Identifying obstacles to our plans, and resolving them as we seek more information to update said plans."

[kinem]

Spoiler: Eilyra

Show

The spirit says "To what end? If you keep evading the question, I will have to assume you are hostile."

[Archmage1]

Eilyra gives the spirit a look. "To determine if the key can be used, and if so, where. And then leverage that information to achieve victory. And I could say the same of you. What is your intent, here?"

[Toliudar]

Ash

Ash shrugs.

"All in good time. First, for your own safety and ours, we need to try to understand what the bad men did to you. Do you understand?"

She pauses briefly, then presses on.

"So...can you tell us how it felt when the bad men did what they did to you? Was it always the same thing, or did they do different things? Did you feel different afterward? Have you noticed anything different in the way you feel, the way your body works?"

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Ongoing sense motive checks +29.

[kinem]

Antis says "Felt bad! No difference. Free now?"

Spoiler: Ash

Show

He's lying.

Spoiler: Eilyra

Show

The spirit says "Perhaps we could help each other. Do you believe the key is here?"

[Archmage1]

Eilyra gives the spirit a look. "Perhaps. But what is your intent?"

[kinem]

Spoiler: Eilyra

Show

The spirit says "If you want power, I can teach you how to get it. Your companions don't need to know.

My ultimate goal is to release the Chained God. If you fear this, perhaps I can persuade you otherwise."

[Toliudar]

Ash

Ash sends to Avarkuss.

*He's hiding something.*

Ash shares her regret with Antis.

"Antis, I'm afraid that if you're not going to be honest with me, I'm going to have to go back into your head yank the memories out one by one. Now, let's try that again. What are the different things that the bad men did to you? And how has it affected you afterward?

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Sense Motive: (1d20+29)[36]
Intimidate, I suppose, but she means every word: (1d20+13)[27]

[paradox26]

Taric is torn. He could go to either of the two locations of his companions, but going to either could easily worsen their situation with the ones they are dealing with. So he remains where he is, preparing to go to the aid of either as soon as they call for him. He realises, since he didn't receive any responses, that his mind blank effect must be blocking his transmission of his thoughts, but he knows he can still receive them. So he waits patiently for some sign of being required for a fight.

[Archmage1]

Spoiler: Eilyra

Show

Eilyra frowns, minutely. Interesting. An offer of power from what is a servant of the chained god. And based on what I know... it may be genuine. A pity that such offers tend to be either of the sort that can be recalled with interest, or drive the recipient mad. But, no reason to not hear the offer. I can always kill it later.

After a moment's thought, she looks back to the entity, very aware of Center and Taric's presence near her. "What is it that you suggest?"

[kinem]

Antis is silent for a while then replies "You saw, yes? It made my body ... heal. Heal wounds. Alright?"

Spoiler: Ash

Show

He seems to be telling the truth.

Spoiler: Eilyra

Show

The spirit says "There is a Gate. I can teach you how to draw power from it. What do you know about the key?"

[Toliudar]

Ash

Ash nods.

"Thank you. Did they hurt you as part of the experiments, then? And then the purple energy healed you? Were there any other effects? And did it change the way you felt afterward?"

Spoiler: OOC

Show

More sense motive. Yay! (1d20+29)[44]

[Archmage1]

Abruptly, a sword appears in Eilyra's hand, and she lashes forwards, slashing at the ghostly spirit, and hoping that her blade would prove to be effective. Even as she lunges, she chants, and her off hand makes a few swift gestures.
Once her spells are completed, she calls out to the spirit. "I am no one's puppet."

Spoiler: action

Show

Well, yeah. Power is awesome. Power that 1: May break the protections, thereby shifting Eilyra into a fool, or 2: Vastly increase divine influence in her life... by a divine that has no interest in her continued survival? Nope.

Casting Haste(Free), Shield(Swift), and full attacking.
Note: She has an additional action available as well, exact use to be determined after the effectiveness of this is assessed.

(1d100)[86] Concealment(If relevant)
(1d20+40)[54] Attack 1
(1d10+20)[26] P/S + (1d6)[6] fire Damage


(1d100)[56] Concealment(If relevant)
(1d20+35)[51] Attack 2
(1d10+20)[28] P/S + (1d6)[2] fire Damage


(1d100)[49] Concealment(If relevant)
(1d20+30)[50] Attack 3 (41 to confirm)
(1d10+20)[30] P/S + (1d6)[1] fire Damage (25 bonus crit damage, if hit)


(1d100)[22] Concealment(If relevant)
(1d20+25)[27] Attack 4
(1d10+20)[28] P/S + (1d6)[3] fire Damage